night running

running, as one of my best friends would say, is a bliss.

recently, i added running at night to my list of favorites. no, this is not something i do regularly, and it isn't something i ever thought i wanted to do; hell, it isn't even something that i would recommend to most people.

but it surely is pretty freakin' amazing.

affixed on your forehead is a lamp. on your running shorts, in the front and in the back, is a blinking light. and on your upper body, believe or not, is a reflective vest.

and no, these are not worst-case-scenario measures. these are absolute necessities.

as i was running my 6.4 mile leg at reach the beach, the lamp on my forehead create a strange halo and several times i had to make sure i wasn't just imagining it. the run started with a steep prolonged uphill. however, what followed was a long long downhill which, combined with the halo, gave me a very uplifting feeling. the best runners' high i've ever had. at some point i had to remind myself where i was and what i was doing and that the pounding noise is the sound of my feet hitting the ground.

when i came back to work the following monday i felt like i've been gone for months. no, i didn't go through a spiritual experience. but doing something so out of ordinary definitely felt like a getaway, moreso than a week spent at the beach in fire island. i guess not just the night running itself, but the whole experience - 25 hours or running, driving, eating, talking, cheering.

what a bliss indeed.